Cigarette or like holder and dispenser



June 21, 1949. M. H. SAcHER ETAL 2,474,168

CIGARETTE OR LIKE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 5, 1948 2 Shets-Sheet l Izwenfoa' s: M188 Ham, Wmz'ne aeazzie,

by flaaeys June 1949- M. H. SACHER ET AL 7 CIGARETTE OR LIKE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 5, E948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y m 5 4 R a 25 a 25 I I 5 a A} 8 I 24 III Patented June 21, 1949 UNITED CIGARETTE R LIKE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Murray H. Sacher, Staten Island, N. Y., and Carmine J. Gentile, Waterbury, Conn.

Application August 5, 1948, Serial No. 42,604

4 Claims.

Our present invention relates to a cigarette or like holder and dispenser and this application is filed in place of our abandoned application, Serial No. 611,160, filed August 17, 1945.

The object of this invention is to provide such a holder of a simple construction and containing easily opera-ted and reliable mechanism to eject individual cigarettes into a handy position from which they may be conveniently picked up.

An additional object of our invention is to provide a cigarette holder and dispenser which is capable of assuming a variety of attractive and desirable forms, has a simple and sturdy construction adapted to economical manufacture, is easily loaded with the contents of a package of cigarettes, retains them in a fresh and clean position, and delivers them individually without injury.

In accordance with our invention, we provide a cigarette holder and dispenser consisting of a cylindrical housing in which is mounted a rotor having a knob. The periphery of the rotor is formed with a plurality of cigarette-receiving channels, closed at their lower ends and disposed in parallel with the axis of the rotor. The rotor fits the chamber snugly enough so that cigarettes are retained in their channels by the housing which has a discharge port with which the channels successively register as the rotor is turned.

We attach to the rotor a plurality of springs, each of which extends into one of the channels to urge a cigarette therein against the housing until the discharge port is reached and then to eject it therethrough.

We close the upper end of the housing by a cover which is apertured to receive the knob and, in practise, the housing has flanges laterally of its port and the cover has a downturned flange to fit over the upper end of the housing and recessed to straddle the port flanges thereby to be held against rotation.

In the accompanying drawings, we have shown an illustrative embodiment of our invention from which these and other novel features and advantages will be readily apparent. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a dispenser in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a section along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a section along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

The embodiment of our cigarette holder and dispenser shown in the drawings has a cylindrical housing 5 mounted on a base 6 and having a vertically disposed discharge port I which is laterally flanged as at 8. The housing 5 is closed at its upper end by a removable cover 9, the depending flange iii of which engages the upper end of the housing 6 and is cut away at H to straddle the port flanges 8 thereby to prevent the cover 9 from turning relative to the housing 5.

The base 6 has a centrally disposed seat l2 on its upper surface to receive the hub l3 of the rotor is and to define an annular recess It with the marginal rim iii which receives and supports the lower end of the housing 5. The lower surface of the base 6 is recessed at I! so that the connecting element 18 shown as a screw threaded into the rotor hub i3 is countersunk.

We provide the upper end of the rotor 14 with a knob is the lower part 20 of which is of slightly increased diameter and which is preferably surrounded by a recess for a pad 2! adapted to retain moisture to assist in maintaining the cigarettes 2ft in good condition. We form the rotor I4 with a plurality of channels 23 extending from its upper end and closed at their bottom end as at 2 5. The rotor I4 is dimensioned to fit within the housing 5 so that, in the assembled device, cigarettes inserted into the channels 23 are held therein against the action of the ejecting springs 25. An ejecting spring 25 is attached to the rotor Hi adjacent the upper end of each of the channels 23 and extends downwardly therein to be tensioned by a cigarette 22 seated in that channel so that when that channel is in registry with the discharge port I, it will positively eject the cigarette therethrough. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each spring 25 may conveniently be made from thin flat stock and preferably engages the upper part of the cigarette so that it will be toppled from the dispenser. Each spring 25 is so formed that, when untensioned, it does not engage the housing 5 as will be apparent from Fig. 2.

In practise, we prefer to form the rotor l4 with twenty-one channels 23 in order that our device may hold the entire contents of a conventional cigarette package and permit an empty channel to be in registry with the discharge port I.

The cover 9 has a centrally disposed aperture 26 dimensioned to receive freely the knob 19 but to have a tight fit with the knob portion 20. We may form the cover 9 so that the aperture 26 is defined by the annular flange 21 and so that it has a second annular flange 28 disposed to overlie the upper extremities of the channels 23 to ensure that when the cover 9 is seated on the housing 5, the cigarettes are uniformly seated. As is shown in Fig. 2, the annular flange 28 is disposed so that it does not block communication between,

the inner extremities of the channels 23 and the annular chamber 29 in which the pad 2| is exposed.

By turning the rotor l1 slightly to bring a channel 23 with a cigarette therein in registry with the discharge port 1, the spring 25 of that channel becomes operative to eject the cigarette therethrough.

We find'it preferable to employ a detentso-that' the registry of the channels successively with the discharge port is ensured as the rotor I4 is turned and to prevent the rotor l4 fromfibeing turned except in one direction. Such detent meansrafi shown in Fig. 2, may conveniently consist of pins 30 extending downwardly from the bottoxnof hfiz 15;;

rotor I4 for successive engagement with the yieldable stop 3| on the base 6}.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that cigarette holders and dispensers in accordance with our invention are ofz simple construction, attractive in appearamca; andx'rel-iable in: operation.

What: we therefore: claim; and; desireto: secure: by:Letters-Batent isc.

1: AK. cigarette or: like holder and dispenser-, comprising a housingavhaying a'lcylindrical chain.- ber, a base: attachedL to.- said; housing; a rotor mountediinf-saidichamberr and having. its: peripheryvformediwitha;plurality.: of-:ciga-rette receiving: channelsclosedzattheir lowen ends and disposed-t imparallehwiththerotor aximsaidrotor beingdie mensionedirelativetdsaid Qhambersothat cigar-i ettes 1 are retained: in, said channels; by said housing, said housing having a: discharge port Wit'hi whichssaid; channels successively register as said rotor; turned.- and'i includin portions formingflangesalatera-lly-of: said port, a; spring in each; ohannelv tzrurge: a cigaretteagainst-isaid' housing; untilr saich discharge= pontzis reached: and then to esject' it; saidrctor beingrotatably supported by said base and includinga-lz-l'iob and: a cover having aicentra-llyfdisposechaperture of; sufficient size to receive-said knoband: including a. downturnedi flangeetcafit oyenthea upper part of; said; housing,

said flange having a recess therein to straddle said port flanges so that said cover is held thereby against rotation.

2. The holder of claim 1 in which the lower part of the knob is dimensioned to fit snugly in the aperture in the cover and the remainder of the knob is of lesser size thereby to fit freely therein.

3. A cigarette, or like holder and; dispenser, comprising a: housing having a cylindrical chamber, a base attached to said housing, a rotor rotatably mounted in said chamber and having its periphery folmfii with a plurality of cigarette receiving channels closed at their lower ends and disposed inparallel with the rotor axis, said rotor being dimensioned= relative to said chamber so that cigarettes are retained in said channels by said; housing said; housing having a discharge port with which said channels successively register-as saidrotor is turned and including portions forming flanges laterally of said port, a spring in each; channel: to urge a. cigarette against: said housing; untilisaididisohargeport is reached'and; then tto-ejectait; said rotor including a. knob and. having an annular recess in its top suriaceifori a:

-- moisture hol'dinglpad; andia cover supported on sa-idihousingdn spaced relation to the upper end ofi'saidi rotor to =establish-. a1 hum-idifying chamben having acentrallydisposediaperture of suflicient; size toreceivesaid knob and including a down-. turnedfiangeto fit oventhe: upper: part of said housing;

4: Theholder of claim 3 inw-hich the cover in cludes an annular bossl spaced from its flange to definethere-with a: housing receiving: groove and: to engagewith and seat any cigarettesprotrudingabove the-upperextremities ofthe channels, and being: dimensioned to leave the inner portions of' the channels open and in communication with. the -humidifying chamber;

MURRAY H; SACHER; GARM'INE J. GENTILE. No ,r erererice .listed., 

